Mamelodi Sundowns suffered their first Caf Champions League loss this season when they fell against Raja Casablanca by a solitary goal in Group B of the annual competition.
The defending Premier Soccer League champions ended the game with nine men following the red cards against Bathusi Aubaas and Khuliso Mudau. The hosts, who scored the only goal through Benaissa Benamar, also had Marouane Zila get his marching orders for two bookable offenses.
However, former Kaizer Chiefs winger Junior Khanye is unhappy with what happened in North Africa. He argues the officials were not fair, and the red cards were a result of pressure from the fans.
“When I was growing up, I respected the likes of Wydad, Raja Casablanca, and Al Ahly because I had this thing that those teams are good,” he told iDiski TV.
North African teams not winning on the pitch?
“But the older I got I paid more attention, and I think the North African teams are not winning on the field like today. I think that was daylight robbery from the referee. There were two teams playing and whatever decisions he made should have been equal. We know he’s human but sometimes he was told, you could see he was being influenced. How these guys play the game is very dirty and this is bad for African football.
“This thing should be looked into because going forward we as Africans are not going to win the World Cup if we do this. I mean when these guys win the Champions League we say they are good but they end up at the group stage at the World Cup. I know that Morocco went all the way to the semi-finals but how they are playing in their country is very bad for African football.
“This game there was a penalty that was supposed to be given from a clear handball and also a red card. There was a Raja player who kicked [Lucas] Ribeiro and should have gotten a red card.”
Sundowns play AS Maniema Union in their next match as AS FAR Rabat face Raja Casablanca.
